Throughout his scintillating athletic career, Iverson has been a polarizing figure dating as far back as his high school days, fiercely defended by some and fiercely condemned by others ... for a variety of reasons.

Naturally, reaction to this latest Iverson-Celtics suggestion has been strong. Some find it ludicrous from a Celtics personnel standpoint, while others generally find it pathetic and sad that this sure-fire Hall of Famer has reduced himself to groveling for a place in a league from which he never would have been displaced (Iverson was out the league last season) had he just come to this role-playing realization sooner.

Me, I dig it. I like Iverson. Especially in a role in which it’s already on the table that he’s anything but the man and will play less than 20 minutes a night as a fifth banana at best.

Now don’t get me wrong. I hated – and feared – Iverson when he was terrorizing the Big East and his Georgetown team stood as the final obstacle between UMass and the Final Four in 1996.

And I downright loathed – and was horrified of – him when his Sixers took the Celtics to five games in the first round of the 2002 NBA playoffs.

But isn’t the guy you’re afraid of often the guy you just wish was on your favorite team instead? Isn’t the guy you’re tired of seeing get every call while bitching at the officials just the same your hero when he all of sudden does it against someone else like, say, the Lakers with a 48-point explosion in the NBA Finals?

Maybe not to some. Maybe you hate his volume-shooting philosophy and mediocre percentages. Maybe you hate his general aversion to any defense that does not involve reaching in or stepping into passing lanes to rack up eye-popping steal figures. Maybe you dislike his dislike for practice.

Say what you will, but I defy you to dispute that Iverson was nasty. In every way you can mean it. And he still can be in a significantly reduced role with a clear leadership hierarchy firmly established. The Celtics are the perfect destination for him. And his offensive talents could be just what the doctor ordered for the Green’s less-than-lively second unit.

My friends and I aren’t jersey-wearing types, but back in the day we used to talk all the time about how awesome it would be to have an Allen Iverson Oakland Raiders jersey (L.A. Raiders would’ve been even cooler). To do what with, I don’t really know. But the chips on their shoulders and the enmity which the two always seem to generate seemed to go hand in hand.

When the Iverson-Celtics talk kicked up mid-decade with the Celtics awash in losing at a time when the new Big Three would’ve been a laughable suggestion, we were just as excited about the prospect of an Iverson Celtics jersey. Again, to do what with, no idea. But we just thought AI in green would generate some pretty serious buzz, and apparently we weren’t alone. Looks pretty slick, doesn’t it? If only the Photoshop boys did a green version.

Maybe now they won’t have to.

What say you, Celtics fans? If there were such a thing as a 2011-12 NBA season, would you be psyched if Allen Iverson was at the scorer’s table waiting to give Rajon Rondo or Ray Allen a breather?

Weigh in.

In the meantime, it wouldn’t be an Allen Iverson post without a little bit of this. Even if you’ve seen or heard it dozens of times, I know you’ll enjoy it again.